If you fly to Moscow from New York and Russkies don't let you in, the airline must fly you back. If you don't have the proper documentation to re-enter the US, then the airline is well and truly f*cked. They must feed and house you somewhere in the f*cking airport until such time as your documentation is sorted out.

So yeah, I'm kinda OK with an airline saying you've got to have your sh*t together before they fly you.

I fly to China all the time, they always check that your passport is valid for much longer than your stay. It's not really a big deal, they are valid for ten years, just get the farkking thing renewed if you are going to be travelling. You only have to worry about it once a decade.

Babwa Wawa:If you fly to Moscow from New York and Russkies don't let you in, the airline must fly you back. If you don't have the proper documentation to re-enter the US, then the airline is well and truly f*cked. They must feed and house you somewhere in the f*cking airport until such time as your documentation is sorted out.

So yeah, I'm kinda OK with an airline saying you've got to have your sh*t together before they fly you.

Happened to my boss. The Czech Republic requires your passport to be valid for X* months from your day of travel. His expired before then and was stopped at his connection in Frankfurt Germany. He was legally allowed entry into Germany but Lufthansa wouldn't let him board his connection. So he just went to the consolate in Frankfurt and got his passport renewed. It happens.

/can't remember how many months it is supposed to be: 3 or 6...//he didn't know the regulation at the time.

midigod:Babwa Wawa: So yeah, I'm kinda OK with an airline saying you've got to have your sh*t together before they fly you.

And how about when the airline is incorrect, as in the case of TFA?

Then the airline will issue a mea culpa and will contact "the passenger directly to remedy the situation", as in the case of TFA. Some lackeys at the bottom of the totem pole farked up and it was fixed a few days later. BFD

Harvey Manfrenjensenjen:midigod: Babwa Wawa: So yeah, I'm kinda OK with an airline saying you've got to have your sh*t together before they fly you.

And how about when the airline is incorrect, as in the case of TFA?

Then the airline will issue a mea culpa and will contact "the passenger directly to remedy the situation", as in the case of TFA. Some lackeys at the bottom of the totem pole farked up and it was fixed a few days later. BFD

Babwa Wawa:If you fly to Moscow from New York and Russkies don't let you in, the airline must fly you back. If you don't have the proper documentation to re-enter the US, then the airline is well and truly f*cked. They must feed and house you somewhere in the f*cking airport until such time as your documentation is sorted out.

So yeah, I'm kinda OK with an airline saying you've got to have your sh*t together before they fly you.

An no. You can be denied access to a country for a variety of reasons (including if they don't like the look of your mustache) andthe airline is under no obligation to do a damn thing.

I was almost denied a spot on a flight to Mexico. My passport was good for another four months. I had checked both the Mexican and US guidelines and both said it just had to be good for the duration. I get there, the person checking my bags in says I can't get on the plane and I need to go to the front desk and they'll give me a refund.

I get to the front desk (after trying to call to cancel my hotel and, thankfully, don't get through because it's too early), the front desk clerk won't issue me a refund because there's nothing wrong with my passport and I get checked in just fine.

I remember when I went on vacation to Australia a while back; I had to verify my passport and my visa with the airline before I was allowed to board the plane in Houston, even though my last point of travel in the US was San Francisco.

If that is the airline's policy then it needs to SAY SO. That's the source of the problem and why the airline farked up. Inside the EU (of which both England and Cyprus are a part) passports are 100% valid for exit and entry up to and on the very last day listed on it. If the airline wants to create a differing policy all on its own then it needs to inform ticket-purchasers of these conditions at the time of sale, not at the time of boarding.

Harvey Manfrenjensenjen:midigod: Babwa Wawa: So yeah, I'm kinda OK with an airline saying you've got to have your sh*t together before they fly you.

And how about when the airline is incorrect, as in the case of TFA?

Then the airline will issue a mea culpa and will contact "the passenger directly to remedy the situation", as in the case of TFA. Some lackeys at the bottom of the totem pole farked up and it was fixed a few days later. BFD

It's a BFD when the airline's screw up causes someone to miss a life event - in this case, a wedding. And it also cost him a lot of money on the other end for hotels that he paid for.

And like most people here, I tend to follow the 6 month rule. It's not worth the risk.

When I travel internationally, there has always been a passport/document check prior to boarding the ex-USA flight. They stamp your ticket with something that indicates that you've cleared their check. I know for a fact that USAirways and United do this.

Babwa Wawa:So yeah, I'm kinda OK with an airline saying you've got to have your sh*t together before they fly you

RTFA, he did have his shiat together, the airline farked up.

I was flying from singapore and the same thing happened to me.

They insisted I need a return ticket if I did not have a Visa before I arrived. he woudl have been right if I was from singapore as they don't like to give them Vias's upon arrival but for US citizens that is SOP.

gingerjet:An no. You can be denied access to a country for a variety of reasons (including if they don't like the look of your mustache) andthe airline is under no obligation to do a damn thing

Depends on the countries rules.

Egypt makes it a condition of flying there that the airline will fly certain people out if they don't have the right paperwork.

gingerjet:Babwa Wawa: If you fly to Moscow from New York and Russkies don't let you in, the airline must fly you back. If you don't have the proper documentation to re-enter the US, then the airline is well and truly f*cked. They must feed and house you somewhere in the f*cking airport until such time as your documentation is sorted out.

So yeah, I'm kinda OK with an airline saying you've got to have your sh*t together before they fly you.

An no. You can be denied access to a country for a variety of reasons (including if they don't like the look of your mustache) andthe airline is under no obligation to do a damn thing.

You have no idea what you're talking about. It's an international agreement designed to stop people from getting stuck in a country away from home or in the airport a la that Tom Hanks movie. Usually if you are not allowed to check-in it's the airline that's stopping you not the TSA because they're the ones who'll be on the hook.

No country is going to let an airline just leave a new immigrant/refugee in the country who may not have family or money to get a new ticket home.

TomD9938:FTHL : For Americans, a passport is something used to see the world

I know what a passport is subby.

I dont need one for Branson though and I'm never going to Hawaii, so what's the point?

People try to bag on us for that.

I travel all over but it is farking stupid for Europeans to get snobby about having a higher rate of passport holders. Yeah? No shiat morans, you are more likely to have a passport if you can drive two hours and be in a new country. Wasn't so long ago that Americans didn't need one for canada and mexico.

How about we compare the percentage of americans who have visited europe to the number of europeans that have visited here.

Parkanzky:digistil: Parkanzky: More importantly, I can get $50k for my passport?

I'm sure, but if you're caught you'll lose everything and spend many years in PMITAP.

Sure, but that just seemed like a ton of money for a passport. I suppose it's a really 'powerful' piece of identification.

Back when my son was born, we got the usual: Birth Certificate, Social Insurance Number and then a passport of him at about 5 months. Made me shudder to think there's probably a market in dead children's identities.

nocturnal001:TomD9938: FTHL : For Americans, a passport is something used to see the world

I know what a passport is subby.

I dont need one for Branson though and I'm never going to Hawaii, so what's the point?

People try to bag on us for that.

I travel all over but it is farking stupid for Europeans to get snobby about having a higher rate of passport holders. Yeah? No shiat morans, you are more likely to have a passport if you can drive two hours and be in a new country. Wasn't so long ago that Americans didn't need one for canada and mexico.

How about we compare the percentage of americans who have visited europe to the number of europeans that have visited here.

I worked in SE Asia and then in Egypt and we had to take "management communication" type classes where you learn to deal with people from different cultures.

It would have been great if I hadn't been working there for over a year, but I digress. The teacher was the most pretentious snotty POS australian I had ever seen.

He dropped the "Dead yeaiou kneaou in AMERICA" (my poor attempt to capture how obnoxious his "did you know in America" sounded, and I like Australian accents) about 10 times a day and then followed with dumb comment along the lines of passports.

liam76:nocturnal001: TomD9938: FTHL : For Americans, a passport is something used to see the world

I know what a passport is subby.

I dont need one for Branson though and I'm never going to Hawaii, so what's the point?

People try to bag on us for that.

I travel all over but it is farking stupid for Europeans to get snobby about having a higher rate of passport holders. Yeah? No shiat morans, you are more likely to have a passport if you can drive two hours and be in a new country. Wasn't so long ago that Americans didn't need one for canada and mexico.

How about we compare the percentage of americans who have visited europe to the number of europeans that have visited here.

I worked in SE Asia and then in Egypt and we had to take "management communication" type classes where you learn to deal with people from different cultures.

It would have been great if I hadn't been working there for over a year, but I digress. The teacher was the most pretentious snotty POS australian I had ever seen.

He dropped the "Dead yeaiou kneaou in AMERICA" (my poor attempt to capture how obnoxious his "did you know in America" sounded, and I like Australian accents) about 10 times a day and then followed with dumb comment along the lines of passports.

Must Americans I know who travel abroad tend to be smarter and better traveled than a lot of other international travelers from other countries and definitely smarter than every Australian I've met abroad.

My little sister was flying to Thailand via Japan. Had no trouble on the flight to Japan, but they wouldn't let her fly to Thailand because her Passport would expire within three months. Had to hang around Japan waiting for the US Consulate to update her passport.

Seems like there should be a bit more cooperation/consistency on these rules to avoid problems like this.

If you're visiting Eastern Europe, DO NOT accidentally pack, and then wear the exact same outfit you wore for your passport photo on any days you are crossing a border. The AK-47-toting guards will NOT appreciate the irony of it being an accident...Western Europe? I could have left the passport at home; I don't think it was checked even once.

I can't be too mad at the airline. Often countries will not let a passenger enter if their passport will be invalid within 3-6 months of the trip. Unfortunately the rules are very patchwork and depend heavily on the country you passport was issued in and the country you are traveling to. As airlines are then responsible for flying back a denied passenger on their own dime, I can understand extra caution. The rules just need to be standardized or all check-in agents need to be familiar with them / cheat sheet at desk so something like this will not happen.

gingerjet:Babwa Wawa: If you fly to Moscow from New York and Russkies don't let you in, the airline must fly you back. If you don't have the proper documentation to re-enter the US, then the airline is well and truly f*cked. They must feed and house you somewhere in the f*cking airport until such time as your documentation is sorted out.

So yeah, I'm kinda OK with an airline saying you've got to have your sh*t together before they fly you.

An no. You can be denied access to a country for a variety of reasons (including if they don't like the look of your mustache) andthe airline is under no obligation to do a damn thing.

Well then the country has to deny access, not some minimum wage airline lackey.

Russ1642:gingerjet: Babwa Wawa: If you fly to Moscow from New York and Russkies don't let you in, the airline must fly you back. If you don't have the proper documentation to re-enter the US, then the airline is well and truly f*cked. They must feed and house you somewhere in the f*cking airport until such time as your documentation is sorted out.

So yeah, I'm kinda OK with an airline saying you've got to have your sh*t together before they fly you.

An no. You can be denied access to a country for a variety of reasons (including if they don't like the look of your mustache) andthe airline is under no obligation to do a damn thing.

Well then the country has to deny access, not some minimum wage airline lackey.

The guys checking you in are all union. If they're minimum wage, they have the worst unions in all of humanity.

Rent Party:Shazam999: Yeah apparently a lot of US farkers have never travelled internationally.

Less than 20% of US citizens hold a passport.

As others have pointed out, the US is a very big place. And until recently you did not need a passport to go to Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean. So an American could easily travel extensively without the need for a passport. If you needed a passport to move between the 50 states, many of which are about the size of European countries, I'm sure that far more than 20% of Americans would have one.

Thoguh:Rent Party: Shazam999: Yeah apparently a lot of US farkers have never travelled internationally.

Less than 20% of US citizens hold a passport.

As others have pointed out, the US is a very big place. And until recently you did not need a passport to go to Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean. So an American could easily travel extensively without the need for a passport. If you needed a passport to move between the 50 states, many of which are about the size of European countries, I'm sure that far more than 20% of Americans would have one.

If you have never left the continent, you have not traveled extensively. And that is exactly the problem with most Americans today. Our #1 export is jingoism.

Lunchlady:Rent Party: Shazam999: Yeah apparently a lot of US farkers have never travelled internationally.

Less than 20% of US citizens hold a passport.

We are #1 in some things, after all.

That's still 70 million people. There are more Americans with passports than the population of Great Britain.

Per capita is a thing, too. We are the least traveled first world people on Earth. All you've really said is that 280 million people will never leave North America, and a large portion of those will never see any culture other than our own. This is exactly what leads to the Get a Brain, Morans guy, and his red white and blue spangled ilk.

Harvey Manfrenjensenjen:midigod: Babwa Wawa: So yeah, I'm kinda OK with an airline saying you've got to have your sh*t together before they fly you.

And how about when the airline is incorrect, as in the case of TFA?

Then the airline will brush the guy off, flat out lie to him, and just generally give him a royal run-around and only thenissue a mea culpa and will contact "the passenger directly to remedy the situation",

after the customer goes to a newspaper which then raises a stink on his behalf, and only then after also lying to the paper, as in the case of TFA.

Here, fixed that for you. It's apparent that the airline was willing to do precisely squat until he went to the press and were giving him brushoffs every step of the way. Stop trying to defend awful customer service.

Or better yet, just freakin' admit that you skimmed the headline, jumped to posting, and that you should have probably FTFA first instead of trying to pin blame on the guy who was getting an old fashioned corporate reaming.

vento:Harvey Manfrenjensenjen: midigod: Babwa Wawa: So yeah, I'm kinda OK with an airline saying you've got to have your sh*t together before they fly you.

And how about when the airline is incorrect, as in the case of TFA?

Then the airline will issue a mea culpa and will contact "the passenger directly to remedy the situation", as in the case of TFA. Some lackeys at the bottom of the totem pole farked up and it was fixed a few days later. BFD

It's a BFD when the airline's screw up causes someone to miss a life event - in this case, a wedding. And it also cost him a lot of money on the other end for hotels that he paid for.

And like most people here, I tend to follow the 6 month rule. It's not worth the risk.

When I travel internationally, there has always been a passport/document check prior to boarding the ex-USA flight. They stamp your ticket with something that indicates that you've cleared their check. I know for a fact that USAirways and United do this.

Protip: Don't rely on air travel to get you to a "life event" unless you leave a couple of days early. There is always a chance (and not an insignificant one) that you won't be landing at your destination within 24 hours of schedule.

nocturnal001:TomD9938: FTHL : For Americans, a passport is something used to see the world

I know what a passport is subby.

I dont need one for Branson though and I'm never going to Hawaii, so what's the point?

People try to bag on us for that.

I travel all over but it is farking stupid for Europeans to get snobby about having a higher rate of passport holders. Yeah? No shiat morans, you are more likely to have a passport if you can drive two hours and be in a new country. Wasn't so long ago that Americans didn't need one for canada and mexico.

How about we compare the percentage of americans who have visited europe to the number of europeans that have visited here.

This. Visiting 20 states is the equivalent of doing "The Grand Tour," so I don't want to hear any more fussing from people that plop down another principality every 50 kilometers.

Rent Party:Lunchlady: Rent Party: Shazam999: Yeah apparently a lot of US farkers have never travelled internationally.

Less than 20% of US citizens hold a passport.

We are #1 in some things, after all.

That's still 70 million people. There are more Americans with passports than the population of Great Britain.

Per capita is a thing, too. We are the least traveled first world people on Earth. All you've really said is that 280 million people will never leave North America, and a large portion of those will never see any culture other than our own. This is exactly what leads to the Get a Brain, Morans guy, and his red white and blue spangled ilk.

I don't get the whole traveling abroad thing. It's fine, and I'm for it, and all, but Americans have less need to travel abroad. If you are in x and want mountains, then where do you go? If you are in y and want ocean, then where do you go.

We have it all here. Why goes to France for their shiatty whatever? We have better here.

Rent Party:We are the least traveled first world people on Earth. All you've really said is that 280 million people will never leave North America, and a large portion of those will never see any culture other than our own. This is exactly what leads to the Get a Brain, Morans guy, and his red white and blue spangled ilk

If you think the "get a brain" type aren't present in Europe you are sadly mistaken.

The "least traveled" is not accurate. Perhaps "least traveled to other countries". But using that as an example of some national character flaw requires you to ignore some very important factors. Number one being the size of the US. The two trips I make most often are from my home in MD to my former college and to the wife's parents. You put that triangle of travel in Europe and it is like traveling between Milan, Lyon and Munich. If you want to add vacations I have recently taken to Colorado, California and Florida and it would be equivalent to traveling the width and most of the height of Europe. Number two is what people do on vacation. Pick virtually any outdoor activity from skiing and surfing to spelunking and hunting, the US has a world class place to do it.

Lunchlady:Must Americans I know who travel abroad tend to be smarter and better traveled than a lot of other international travelers from other countries and definitely smarter than every Australian I've met abroad.

Yeah, I should probably apologise, I'm pretty sure the real reasons Americans have such a lousy rep overseas these days is because most people can't tell your accents from ours . . .

Lord Dimwit:I remember when I went on vacation to Australia a while back; I had to verify my passport and my visa with the airline before I was allowed to board the plane in Houston, even though my last point of travel in the US was San Francisco.

Yep. La Migra australiana don't fark around (unless ordered to by the Minister in charge for political benefit, but enough about refugees). Seriously, if you're flying to Australia and your passport doesn't have a kangaroo or kiwi on the front, allow an extra half-hour for check-in on top of all the other bullshiat you normally have to deal with for an overseas flight, it'll take that long for the poor sod at the desk to plug the details into the computer and confirm you've got your papers in order. Insert the obligatory Fark Austria-Australia gag here.

XXXX Gold is good beer, though.

. . . I knew (mass-market) American beer was bad. I didn't realise it was that bad.

liam76:The "least traveled" is not accurate. Perhaps "least traveled to other countries". But using that as an example of some national character flaw requires you to ignore some very important factors. Number one being the size of the US. The two trips I make most often are from my home in MD to my former college and to the wife's parents. You put that triangle of travel in Europe and it is like traveling between Milan, Lyon and Munich. If you want to add vacations I have recently taken to Colorado, California and Florida and it would be equivalent to traveling the width and most of the height of Europe. Number two is what people do on vacation. Pick virtually any outdoor activity from skiing and surfing to spelunking and hunting, the US has a world class place to do it.

Very much this. You can tour from desert to tundra, tropical Island to Mountains all without leaving the USA(or needing a passport). You can visit quaint villages or massive cities and everything in between. You can hike in a forest where there are no buildings within dozens of miles or sleep in a 5* hotel. Virtually every activity you care to name, unless it's something like climbing a *specific* mountain, we have.

I could spend 20 years of vacations and never go to the same place twice, very easily.